THIS is the dramatic moment a hero great-grandfather fought off three armed thugs with his bare hands after returning from a night out to find them ransacking his house.

The three yobs attacked Mr Adamson with weapons before making off with £400 [SWNS]

Brave Andrew Adamson, 59, arrived home from a social event with his wife Liz, 58, when he noticed his front door had been forced open.

CCTV shows the unsuspecting dad-of-three approaching the door wearing a tuxedo before the masked yobs appear and batter him over the head - with a metal pole.

The shocking footage shows defiant Andrew bravely fighting back and refusing to back down even when one of the intruders pulls out a razor-blade.

Andrew is seen tussling with the trio in the alleyway as one of the gang continues to strike him with the 2ft-long metal bar.

Incredibly, he takes on all three of the men entirely by himself and manages to eject them from his property one-by-one.

The CCTV taken from an alley outside the house in Kettering, Northants., shows the thugs eventually fleeing from the property as Andrew gives chase.

The grandad-of-four was left with blood pouring from a wound to his head after they fled with his briefcase containing £400 worth of possessions. Andrew, who has lived at the house with wife for over 30 years, had to have seven stitches to his head following the brutal attack.

I got hit several times over the side of my head and had to have seven stitches. I was bleeding like a stock pig

Andrew Adamson

He said: "We came home and they were already in there. My wife opened the door and thought it was my son playing but then realised it wasn't.

"The next thing we know the chap comes out with the iron bar and sparks were flying off it when he hit it off the wall so he was really trying to whack me.

"I was trying to force him off and one slipped by me and took my briefcase.

"I followed them out into the street and I got hold of the other fella but the taller assailant came back for him and pulled a razor out so I decided that was the time to let go.

"I got hit several times over the side of my head and had to have seven stitches. I was bleeding like a stock pig.

"If my wife had been here on her own that night I dread to think what would have happened.

"They came here because, I believe, they thought there were large amounts of money here. But that just proves their lack of intelligence.

The thugs attacked Andrew Adamson with razor blades and a metal bar [SWNS]

"I was not just going to let them stand by and ransack my house - I did what any good husband would do. I wanted to protect my home and protect my wife.

"There was no way I was going to let them go without a fight. They say an Englishman's home is his castle - but I think I just acted on instinct.

"I was not going to let them get away with it - and somehow I managed to turf them all out of the house one by one." The 1 min 27 secs video clip of the incident on December 18 2010 even helped convict one of the gang. Duncan Berry, 23, was identified in the footage and pleaded guilty to the aggravated burglary at Northampton Crown Court.

He was sentenced to four-and-half years in a young offenders' institute on July 4, 2011, while he was aged 20.

During the struggle, brave Andrew also managed to grab the balaclava from the face of one of the other men.

The mask was kept by police as evidence and over three years later a DNA match emerged when David Jarvie was arrested for affray.

The 53-year-old was then arrested and owned up to the break-in during a police interview - telling officers he had been forced to take part by his drug dealer.

Heroic Andrew managed to remove one of the thug's balaclavas that became a vital clue [SWNS]

Jarvie, of Kettering, admitted aggravated burglary and actual bodily harm at an earlier hearing and was jailed for five-and-a-half years last Thursday (28/8). Sentencing Recorder Stuart Sprawson said: "Your explanation maintains that you came under pressure to do your drug supplier a favour and that you were a lookout. "However, you were inside the property and violence was used by you. The victim and his wife were both present.

"I am sure they were not only terrified but also horrified by what happened."

Prosecutor Guy Bowden told the court: "The homeowner and his wife returned home at about 12.40am after an evening out.

"As they approached their front door they found it open and they were confronted by two men, one of whom was armed with a black metal pole.

"The victim was struck several times over the head with the pole and his wife was pushed away, she made good her escape and went to get help. "The victim continued to try to repel the attack and in the course of that he grabbed a balaclava-like mask off one of the men."

In court Jarvie even praised Andrew for his bravery for confronting his gang on the night. His defence barrister William Falshaw said: "He knows it must have been terrifying for the victims.

"He says himself that the victim was a very brave man to stand up to a whole group of men, some of whom were armed."